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Wednesday, October 19, 2016

SPOILERS: Batman #9

See, with the ending of this issue, I'm really fucking glad that these books are twice monthly now, because there's some explaining to do... a lot.

The Spoilers:

Hey, Bane had a fucked up life now he's using Psycho Pirate to make himself not so dependent on Venom. What else is new? Well, Batman needs Psycho Pirate to help Gotham Girl, and he's taking up Waller's offer so AVENGERS ASSEMBLE! Or the Suicide Squad... or whatever the fuck this team is.

Batman goes through Arkham Asylum with Jeremiah Arkham and James Gordon. First recruit is Albert Wesker, minus Scarface. Sure. Gordon asks how many more, Batman says three, Arkham objects. Puppet man, spy and the clown girl. The other one Batman wants is apparently too dangerous.

Also, Legion of Superhero girl from Rebirth is totally just hanging out drawing the Legion symbol.

Next is Bronze Tiger, who despite being a killer, seems to be pretty buddy buddy with Batman.

Then there's Jewelee, dude I don't know where Tom King found her, but she's a real character, and she's borderline comatose without her lover Punch. Speaking of Punch, Batman decks Gordon who happens to be Punch, a man who managed to break out of Santa Prisca just to get back to his lover. Batman makes him an offer asking what he'd do to stay with her.

Now it gets interesting. Arkham once again objects to the final request. Batman points out to Arkham that unbeknownst to him, a criminal had just broken into the asylum and was walking right besides him. If Batman really wanted to, he could have Arkham thrown out of the asylum in two seconds, and basically says "I do what I want."

Batman then enters the cell of an inmate with a protective mask covering their face, and gives a familiar line of "I've been thinking lately. About you and me." And as he continues to speak, he takes off the mask to reveal none other than Catwoman, in Arkham 237 counts of murder and sentenced to death.

The Opinion:

Yeah, what the fuck?! See, this was the Tom King I felt was missing from that original arc before it really started to click for me. Just really methodically paced stories with details woven in real deep and just a "what the fuck" to wrap it all up. When I saw the solicitation for January's Batman two days ago I thought "oh awesome, seems like Batman and Catwoman's relationship might be fixed in continuity again" and now this megaton drops... I mean, shit... Again, real glad we only have to wait two weeks.

Mikel Janin takes the reigns on art, and his work is as beautiful as ever. Quite honestly, I know it's apples and oranges, but I prefer his work on the title to Finch's already. That said, I don't know if I'm crazy, if it's a result of the schedule or if it was just the sterile setting of the Asylum, the backgrounds were pretty plain and there didn't seem to be a whole lot of detail to many pages outside of the characters. Still a gorgeous looking book minor gripes aside.

Yup. They were also in early issues of Greg Ruckas criminally overlooked Checkmate series. That was my first encounter with them; I didn't even realize they were a thing prior to that.

I kind of wish DC would have Rucka do a book like that again. It was one of my favorite reads, even if the last arc of his run didn't hit trade until an unlabeled collection of Kobra stories YEARS later.

re: Catwoman, we can begin with the presumption that she probably didn't kill 237 people. If we take that as a given, then either she's been set up, she has deliberately planted herself in Arkham for some reason, Batman has deliberately planted her in Arkham for some reason, or the police/ Dr. Arkham have falsely imprisoned her. I'd lay odds on her being a plant.

re: Saturn Girl - if the DC Universe had ten years stolen from it, in theory shouldn't the Legion be unaffected? If they are 1000 years in the future that should stay relatively constant. Perhaps they are still out there in their pre-Flashpoint incarnation and will be one of the catalysts for undoing the New 52. (Remember the New 52 Legion turned out to be the Earth-2 version.)

Regarding the deaths Catwoman has been charged with, maybe there's more to it? Like, something to do with her time running a crime family. Perhaps she got nailed on some of the activities and got conspiracy or whatever charges. I don't pretend to know law, but couldn't she, if there were evidence found or whatever, be charged with any deaths that happened under her watch? I'm not sure how it works. It'll be interesting to find out if it's legit and to what degree or if you're right and she's a plant.

I think she could be charged with crimes committed on her watch or at her behest, but having her locked in the basement of Arkham with a Hannibal Lecter mask on suggests to me that she's seen as a rabid violent criminal.